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Article
Publication date: 15 November 2017

Mostafa Khanzadi, Farnad Nasirzadeh, Mostafa Mir and Pouya Nojedehi

The purpose of this paper is to present a hybrid simulation approach for predicting the value of labor productivity taking account of various continuous influencing factors and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a hybrid simulation approach for predicting the value of labor productivity taking account of various continuous influencing factors and the interactions between different agents involved in the project.

Design/methodology/approach

The various continuous factors affecting labor productivity are simulated using system dynamics (SD). The heterogeneity of different agents involved in the project and their interactions is accounted using agent-based modelling (ABM). The developed ABM and SD models are finally integrated to simulate the value of labor productivity taking account of all the influencing factors.

Findings

The proposed hybrid simulation tool is implemented in a real project to evaluate its perfomance. The value of labor productivity is simulated by taking account of all the influencing factors. The most appropriate execution strategy is then selected using the developed hybrid SD-ABM approach to improve productivity. It is shown that the number of working groups and their movement patterns affect the severity of the groups’ interferences which will in turn affect the value of labor productivity.

Practical implications

This research helps project managers to predict and improve the value of labor productivity taking account of all the influencing factors.

Originality/value

It is believed that the proposed hybrid SD-ABM simulation approach offers a novel and robust tool for modeling labor productivity because the effects of various continuous influencing factors and the interactions between different agents are taken into account through the combination of SD and ABM. Many complex problems faced in construction projects involve interacting elements of a different nature, and the integration of SD with ideas from ABM offers potential to combine the strengths of the two methodologies to solve the problem.

Details

Construction Innovation, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 May 2018

Behzad Mahjoubpour, Farnad Nasirzadeh, Mahmoud Mohammad Hosein Zadeh Golabchi, Maryam Ramezani Khajehghiasi and Mostafa Mir

Learning as the way in which labor acquire new knowledge and skills has important strategic implications for the competitive advantage of an organization. The purpose of this…

1874

Abstract

Purpose

Learning as the way in which labor acquire new knowledge and skills has important strategic implications for the competitive advantage of an organization. The purpose of this paper is to present an agent-based modeling (ABM) approach to investigate the learning behavior of workers. The effect of interactions among different workers as well as the factors affecting the workers’ learning behavior is assessed using the proposed ABM approach.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, the processes through which the competency value of worker is changed are understood and the workers’ learning behavior is modeled, taking account of various influencing factors such as knowledge flow, social ability to teach and forgetting factor.

Findings

The proposed model is implemented on a real steel structure project to evaluate its applicability and performance. The variation in the competency value of different workers involved in the project is simulated over time taking account of all the influencing factors using the proposed ABM approach.

Practical implications

In order to assess the effect of interactions among welders as well as the welders’ characteristics on their learning behavior, the competence value of different welders is evaluated.

Originality/value

This research presents an ABM approach to investigate the workers’ learning behavior. To evaluate the performance of the proposed ABM approach, it was implemented on a real steel structure project. The learning behavior of different welders (agents) was simulated taking account of their interactions as well as the factors affecting the welders’ learning behavior. The project involved the welding of a 240-ton steel structure. The initial project duration was estimated as 100 days. In this project, it has been planned to execute the welding process using three different welders namely welder A, B and C.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

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Article
Publication date: 12 October 2021

Aasif Ahmad Mir, Sevukan Rathinam and Sumeer Gul

Twitter is gaining popularity as a microblogging and social networking service to discuss various social issues. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic…

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Abstract

Purpose

Twitter is gaining popularity as a microblogging and social networking service to discuss various social issues. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic and is discussed worldwide. Social media is an instant platform to deliberate various dimensions of COVID-19. The purpose of the study is to explore and analyze the public sentiments related to COVID-19 vaccines across the Twitter messages (positive, neutral, and negative) and the impact tweets make across digital social circles.

Design/methodology/approach

To fetch the vaccine-related posts, a manual examination of randomly selected 500 tweets was carried out to identify the popular hashtags relevant to the vaccine conversation. It was found that the hashtags “covid19vaccine” and “coronavirusvaccine” were the two popular hashtags used to discuss the communications related to COVID-19 vaccines. 23,575 global tweets available in public domain were retrieved through “Twitter Application Programming Interface” (API), using “Orange Software”, an open-source machine learning, data visualization and data mining toolkit. The study was confined to the tweets posted in English language only. The default data cleaning and preprocessing techniques available in the “Orange Software” were applied to the dataset, which include “transformation”, “tokenization” and “filtering”. The “Valence Aware Dictionary for sEntiment Reasoning(VADER) tool was used for classification of tweets to determine the tweet sentiments (positive, neutral and negative) as well as the degree of sentiments (compound score also known as sentiment score). To assess the influence/impact of tweets account wise (verified and unverified) and sentiment wise (positive, neutral, and negative), the retweets and likes, which offer a sort of reward or acknowledgment of tweets, were used.

Findings

A gradual decline in the number of tweets over the time is observed. Majority (11,205; 47.52%) of tweets express positive sentiments, followed by neutral (7,948; 33.71%) and negative sentiments (4,422; 18.75%), respectively. The study also signifies a substantial difference between the impact of tweets tweeted by verified and unverified users. The tweets related to verified users have a higher impact both in terms of retweets (65.91%) and likes (84.62%) compared to the tweets tweeted by unverified users. Tweets expressing positive sentiments have the highest impact both in terms of likes (mean = 10.48) and retweets (mean = 3.07) compared to those that express neutral or negative sentiments.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of the study is that the sentiments of the people expressed over one single social platform, that is, Twitter have been studied which cannot generalize the global public perceptions. There can be a variation in the results when the datasets from other social media platforms will be studied.

Practical implications

The study will help to know the people's sentiments and beliefs toward the COVID-19 vaccines. Sentiments that people hold about the COVID-19 vaccines are studied, which will help health policymakers understand the polarity (positive, negative, and neutral) of the tweets and thus see the public reaction and reflect the types of information people are exposed to about vaccines. The study can aid the health sectors to intensify positive messages and eliminate negative messages for an enhanced vaccination uptake. The research can also help design more operative vaccine-advocating communication by customizing messages using the obtained knowledge from the sentiments and opinions about the vaccines.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on an essential aspect of COVID-19 vaccines and how people express themselves (positively, neutrally and negatively) on Twitter.

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Article
Publication date: 11 February 2021

Natasha Saqib and Mir Shahid Satar

Emerging markets are witnessing rapid changes in their economy owing to the ongoing liberalization and globalization. India, as one of the emerging markets in south Asia, is also…

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Abstract

Purpose

Emerging markets are witnessing rapid changes in their economy owing to the ongoing liberalization and globalization. India, as one of the emerging markets in south Asia, is also experiencing a dramatic change in its business ecosystem. This poses huge opportunities to the companies, both start-ups and established ones. In this direction, the business model innovation offers a strategic renewal mechanism. The study aims to explore the practices of an online transport network company (OLA) creating a distinctive place for itself in Indian taxi service sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodologically, an exploratory case study of an India-based online transport company (OLA) business model innovation is reported.

Findings

This paper reveals that OLA has been able to gain competitive advantage in the Indian emerging market by developing an innovative business model with its distinctive features of personalised customer service, asset sharing, usage-based pricing, collaborative ecosystem, agile and adaptive organising and successful expansion strategies.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds to current knowledge concerning the theoretical foundations and antecedents of business model innovation as a competitive advantage. The paper is explorative in nature because the analysis is mostly based on literature review. Furthermore, in consideration of the analysis of business model of a single company, further research is required to generalize the results.

Practical implications

The understanding of the intricacies of business model innovation can be of great concern to existing and prospective managers and entrepreneurs of emerging markets.

Originality/value

The paper discusses the features of innovative business models and how firms can make their business models more relevant to the competitive markets. As such, the study is hopeful to aid practitioners engaged in the pursuit of beating the competition with innovation driven business models.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

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Article
Publication date: 28 October 2014

Walaa Wahid ElKelish and Mostafa Kamal Hassan

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between organizational culture and corporate risk disclosure for listed companies in the United Arab Emirates…

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Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between organizational culture and corporate risk disclosure for listed companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

The organizational culture is represented by four dimensions: Clan, Adhocracy, Market and Hierarchy (Cameron and Quinn, 1999). Data are computed from the financial reports of all listed companies on the UAE Stock Market as of the year ending 2005. The multiple regression analysis model, ordinary least square, is used to test the study hypotheses.

Findings

Results show that the organizational culture of Hierarchy, which focuses on more formalized work procedures, has a significant positive effect on the companies’ risk disclosure in the UAE business environment. Several other control variables are implemented to ensure reliability of results.

Practical implications

Listed companies in the UAE are more responsive to formal rules and regulations on reporting risk disclosure, which is quite different from the “self-regulation” practices that are more common in some Western countries. Consequently, policymakers and regulators in the UAE, and in other countries with similar conditions, are encouraged to focus on continuous development of formal rules and procedures to enable more harmony with international best practices of risk disclosure.

Originality/value

Unlike the majority of previous empirical studies, this is the first study to incorporate a behavioral endogenous organizational culture model to explain the main determinants of risk disclosure, which opens the door for more understanding of the risk disclosure output function as a management process.

Details

International Journal of Commerce and Management, vol. 24 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1056-9219

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Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2018

Jonas Eduardsen

This chapter contributes to the ongoing debate about how digitalisation affects the internationalisation of small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs). By applying the Uppsala…

Abstract

This chapter contributes to the ongoing debate about how digitalisation affects the internationalisation of small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs). By applying the Uppsala Internationalisation Process model, this chapter examines the impact of e-commerce on the internationalisation of SMEs. The study uses a unique dataset, which includes 14,513 SMEs across several sectors in 34 countries. The results show that firms using the Internet as a means to provide information about the firm exhibit a higher degree of internationalisation, while using the Internet to facilitate transactions was found to have a positive impact on the ratio of foreign sales to the total sales; however, these foreign sales are likely to be concentrated in less regions/markets. Furthermore, perceived export barriers were found to be a significant moderator of the effects of e-commerce usage on international intensity and international diversification. This suggests that e-commerce does not automatically facilitate the internationalisation of SMEs.

Details

International Business in the Information and Digital Age
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-326-1

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Article
Publication date: 27 December 2022

Muhammad Arshad, Mir Dost and Neelam Qasim

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of organizational identification on employee work engagement (EWE) and to what extent this relationship strengthens/weakens…

388

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of organizational identification on employee work engagement (EWE) and to what extent this relationship strengthens/weakens when moderated by gender and leader social dominance orientation (SDO).

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypothesized relationships, the authors collected data from supervisors (n = 101) and their subordinates (n = 478) working in medium and large organizations in the service industry. To test the hypothesized model, the authors used structural equation modeling in MPlus.

Findings

The data revealed that organizational identification is positively associated with EWE. Interestingly, the effects were stronger on female EWE than male EWE. Furthermore, the findings of this study displayed that leader SDO negatively moderated the relationship between organizational identification and EWE. The results of this study were more potent when the leader SDO was low versus high.

Originality/value

The findings mainly contribute to the social identity theory by examining the moderating role of gender and leader SDO on the link between organizational identification and EWE. This study offers practitioners insights into the importance of gender in EWE and the type of leadership. Conducting this study in a developing economy provided a unique contextual finding, which will be helpful for the practitioners who want to improve the work engagement of female employees.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 38 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

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Article
Publication date: 31 May 2013

Mostafa Kamal Hassan and Sawsan Saadi Halbouni

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on the financial performance of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) listed firms.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on the financial performance of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) listed firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Relying on a sample of 95 UAE listed firms affiliated to financial and non‐financial sectors, the paper performs a cross‐section regression analysis to test whether there is a significant relationship between governance mechanisms (voluntary disclosure, CEO duality, board size, board committee and audit type) and UAE firms' performance while controlling for firm size, industry type, firm listing years and leverage. The paper relies on data published on year 2008 and utilizes the accounting‐based measures of Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) as well as the market measure (Tobin's Q) in order to measure the UAE firms' financial performance.

Findings

The empirical results show that voluntary disclosure, CEO duality and board size are significantly influencing the UAE accounting‐based performance measure, while none of the governance variables significantly affects firms' market performance measure. The results also reveal that firm size is the only control variable that significantly influences firms' performance. This paper provides evidence showing that the accounting‐based performance measures are more objective in the years where unstable economic conditions exist.

Practical implications

The paper's findings indicate that the underlying principles of corporate governance are applicable in emerging markets. The findings are important to regulators, investors, managers, and researchers aiming at developing new policies that establish better regulatory infrastructure that increases investors' confidence and attracting foreign investment.

Originality/value

The paper is one of very few studies that examine the relationship between corporate governance and firms' financial performance under economic turbulent in an emerging market economy, the UAE.

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Article
Publication date: 11 May 2023

Christine Mening Ngau, Andreas H. Zins and Dhanuskodi Rengasamy

The digital transformation in the banking industry has brought about complexity and competitiveness which has made differentiation challenging for banks. Complemented by consumer…

896

Abstract

Purpose

The digital transformation in the banking industry has brought about complexity and competitiveness which has made differentiation challenging for banks. Complemented by consumer empowerment through high accessibility of information on the internet, this has led to a phenomenon known as switching behavior. The purpose of this review is to examine the determinants governing switching behavior among bank customers. This review highlights the importance of research which looks beyond pre-adoption behavior by examining post-adoption behavior; what happens after initial technology acceptance.

Design/methodology/approach

This review examines 44 journal articles researching switching behavior published between 1995 and 2022 in top journals. From a synthesis of literature, a conceptual framework for analysis and understanding switching behavior is presented.

Findings

Although various scholars have investigated switching behavior among bank customers, there are few studies which provide a comprehensive review and research classifications in this area. This review classifies key determinants of switching behavior into socio-demographic factors, situational triggers, influential triggers and reactional triggers. Structural equation modelling is the most common research methodology utilized in reviewed articles. The literature review reveals that mediators and moderators are less commonly deployed compared to determinants. Findings also indicate switching behavior studies still lack theory-driven conceptual frameworks.

Originality/value

This paper is the first systematic literature review on switching behavior research among bank customers spanning across 28 years in top academic journals. It integrates insights from 44 relevant research papers through publication trends. This review identifies key research gaps and provides future research directions.

Details

International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 41 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-2323

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Article
Publication date: 23 May 2008

Mostafa Kamal Hassan

This paper seeks to understand the processes of setting accounting standards in a developing country in transition, namely Egypt. It explores the social, political as well as…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to understand the processes of setting accounting standards in a developing country in transition, namely Egypt. It explores the social, political as well as economic forces that underlie the development of financial accounting regulations implemented throughout two longitudinal periods; starting with the beginning of socialism and extending to liberalism.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on in‐depth interviews and an analysis of documents. It relies on the institutional theory notions of coercive, mimic and normative isomorphic mechanisms to link the changes in the financial accounting regulations to the changes in the wider social and institutional context wherein organizations operate, while, at the same time, exploring the legitimation processes underlying the development of domestic accounting standards similar to the International Accounting Standards (IASs).

Findings

The paper finds that the major changes in the state's political philosophy, the regulators' motivations and the processes of the accountancy profession provided a momentum to the formulation of Egyptian Accounting Standards (EAS). Though similar to IASs, they were acted upon to overcome the pre‐existing socialist accounting practices, while, at same time, increasing organizational members' adherence to the processes of privatization.

Research limitations/implications

Although the empirical findings suggest that “globalization forces” through technical as well as financial assistance programmes created pressures during the standard‐setting processes, a full investigation and explanation of such pressures are an area of future research.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the understanding of how IASs are diffused in a country in transition and the role of these standards during that country's transformation processes towards the market economy.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 23 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

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